Rail retaining member



Sept. 5, 1933. R. was mu. I 1,925,717

RAIL RETAINING MEMBER Filed Jan. 10, 1931 FIG): I

9 v a s2 4 Wm v z mMw Y. 7 W n m5" wq/l 6} 5?, k 5

FIG: ll.

INVENTORS.

Robe? Farms &

BY Roberi H Bag d W A TTORNEYS WITNESSFO Patented Sept. 5, 1933 UNITEDSTATES 1,925,117 nan. RETAINING MEMBER Robert Faries, St. Davids, andRobert H. Boyd,

. Philadelphia, Pa.

Application January 10, 1931. Serial No. 50am 6 Claims. (01. 238-304}This invention relates to rail retaining members, and more particularly.to instrumentalities used for retaining the base flanges of rails upontie plates. In using the term tie plate herein we mean to include anyformof plate, tie, or foundation, upon which the base of a rail isadapted to rest or to be secured.

The principal object of the present invention is. to provide a form oftie plate and rail retain- 10 ing key of simple and inexpensivemanufacture which when used in combination will enable rails to bequickly and readily assembled upon their supporting tie plates and to beremoved with equal facility.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide means whereby theposition of the rail retaining key with respect to the flange of therail may be varied to afford selectively either an intimate wedgingengagement, contact ,without actual wedging engagement or clearancebetween the rail and the retaining key. To this end we provide abutmentsin the form of notches or corrugations adapted to hold the railretaining key against lateral displacement, and we employ a key made ofresilient material and preferably of a normal bowed shape, the key beingadapted to be inserted with its outer end engaging in any one of thenotches or corrugations of the tie plate in order to satisfy the desiredconditions 3 as to the movement to be allowed between rail and tieplate.

Other objects and advantages characterizing our invention will becomemore fully apparent from the description hereinafter of one embodi-.ment or exampleof the invention, the description having reference tothe accompanying drawing, whereof: Y

Fig. I is a side elevation of a portion of a rail showing a tie plateand retaining key assembled according to the manner of our invention.

Fig. 11 is a plan view of the rail and other parts shown in Fig. I; and,

Fig. I]! is an end view of the rail portion show-. ing the tie platepartly in section.

There is shown in the drawing a railroad rail 1 of standard form havinga base comprising oppositely directed flanges 2 resting upon a tie plate3. The supporting tie plate 3 may be secured to an underlying tie in thecustomary ma n. ner by means of spikes, or it may form a part of the tieitself.

Adjacent to the outside edges of the base of the rail 1 the tie plate 3is provided with upstanding shoulders 4 which serve as abutments and arepreferably so-spaced from each other as to accommodate between them onthe seat portion of the tie plate the base. of a standard size rail.Each shoulder 4 is transversely slotted at 5 to accommodate a retainingkey 6. The slots or keyways 5-constitute, in the illustrated example ofour invention, openings of rectangular cross section with upper andlower surfaces substantially parallel to the slopes 7 of the rail base.The retaining keys 6 comprise in the form illustrated, flat metal piecesmade of resilient material, such as spring steel. In its normal shape,each retaining key is bowed to the form indicated in broken lines at 8.

At opposite sides of the supporting tie plate 3 a series of spacednotches or corrugations 9 are provided and these notches or corrugationsare disposed parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rail and mayextend for any desired length along the surface of the tie plate. Thenotches 9 afford a series of abutments for the outer ends .of theretaining keys 6 which are formed 'with downtumed portions 10 adapted tofit within the notches. When 'a retaining key 6 is inserted within thekey-way 5 of a shoulder '4 of the tie plate v3 and the retaining key issubsequently driven onto a slope '7 of the rail flange 2, the retainingkey will be deformed from its normal -bowed shape so that its end 10will be pressed by the spring action of the retaining key into one ofthe notches 9, and the key will be stressed in its applied position. Thenatural bowed shape ofthe major portion of the'retaining key 6 tends tolimit its movement through the key-way 5. The provision of slots 5 withtop and bottom surfaces paralleling the rail slopes 7, in combinationwith a resilient retaining key 6 of normally bowed shape, makes itpossible to drive the key to diflerent positions on the rail flangeafter forcing the key solidly against the rail.

It will be particularly noted that the arrangement described affordsready adjustment of the position of the retaining keys 6 with respect tothe rail-flanges 2. If it is desired to provide an intimate wedgingengagement between the retaining keys and the rail flanges, theretaining keys are driven inward until their downturned portions 10engage in the innermost notches 9. If it is desired to provide lessintimate engagement or clearance between the retaining keys and the railflanges, the retaining keys are driven into the middle or outermostnotches in-the tie plate.

Accordingly it is not necessary to manufacture the tie plates andretaining keys with accurate dimensions and machined surfaces in orderto obtain substantial uniformity throughout a length 110 the form ofapparatus described without departing from the spirit of our invention.For example, the form of the tie plates and retaining keys admits ofobvious variations which are within the contemplated scope of theannexed claims..

Having thus described our invention, we claim: 1. Supporting andretaining means for a rail-- 1 road rail comprising, in combination, atie plate member having a seat portion for the base of the rail, anupstanding shoulder on the plate having a key-way therein and providingan abutment for one flange of the rail base, and a spring key providedat one end with a portion having a limited movement through said key-wayto a position above said flange of the rail base and provided at theother end with a downturned portion adapted to be sprung into lockingengagement with a portion of the said tie plate to hold the key stressedin its applied position.

2. Supporting and retaining means for a railroad rail comprising, incombination, a tie plate member having a. seat portion for the base ofthe rail, an upstanding shoulder onthe plate having a key-way thereinand providing an abutment for one flange of the rail base, and a springkey provided at one end with a portion having a limited movement throughsaid key-way to a position above said flange of the rail base andprovided at the other end with a downturned portion, spaced notchesbetween said shoulder and the edge of said tie plate member, said springkey being adapted to be sprung into locking engagement with one of saidnotches to hold the key stressed in its applied position.

3'. In combination, a rail, a tie plate having a number of spacednotches and having a shoulder between said notches and the rail, saidshoulder having a slot therein substantially paralleling the slope ofthe rail flange, and a resilient retaining member adapted to passthrough the slot in said shoulder with one end positioned above the railflange and the other end pressed into one of said notches.

4. In combination, a rail, a tie plate having a number of corrugationsin the surface thereof parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rail andhaving a shoulder between said corrugations and the rail, saidshoulderhaving a slot therein substantially paralleling the slope of therail flange, and a. resilient retaining member adapted to pass throughthe slot in said shoulder with. one end positioned above the rail flangeand the other end pressed into one of said corrugations.

5. In combination, a rail, a tie plate having a notch therein and havinga. shoulder between said notch and the rail said shoulder having a slottherein substantially paralleling the slope of the rail flange, and aresilient retaining member of a normally bowed shape adapted, wheninserted within the slot of said shoulder with one end positioned abovethe rail flange, to be flattened with the other end pressed into saidnotch.

6. In combination, a rail, a tie plate having a number of corrugationsin the surface thereof parallel to the longitudinal axis of the rail and.105 having a shoulder between said corrugations and the rail, saidshoulder having a slot therein substantially paralleling the slope ofthe rail flange, and a resilient retaining member of a-normally bowedshape adapted, when inserted within the slot of said shoulder with oneend positioned above the rail flange, to be sprung with the other endpressed into any one of said corrugations.

ROBERT FARMS. ROBERT H. BOYD.

Inn

